Lord of the Rings fan breaks down after seeing Black version of Aragorn in game

A Lord of the Rings fan has broken down in tears in a moving viral video after seeing a Black version of Aragorn represented for the first time.

TikTok user @ebonywarriorstudios posted a clip of himself overcome with emotion while reacting to Magic: The Gathering's new Lord of the Rings set.

The latest incarnation of the trading card game depicts Middle-earth’s most famous hero, Aragorn, as a Black man. It also features designs of Galadriel and Eowyn as Black characters.

The first designs have been revealed online ahead of Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-earth’s release on Magic: The Gathering on June 23, and ebonywarriorstudios had a powerful response.

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“I promised myself I wasn’t going to break down today,” he said, filming himself against a backdrop of the Aragorn playing card.

“I’m trying not to... but there is something I didn’t get to say about this. We’ve seen Baranor in [Middle-earth: Shadow of War] but he was a made up character for the Lord of the Rings.”

He went on to say: “I’ve never seen myself represented in Lord of the Rings before. This is awesome because I’ve never seen myself as one of the main characters before… actually seen myself represented in some form of official Lord of the Rings media.

“Representation matters. Lord of the Rings has been my favourite for the longest. I don’t think they understand how important this is to me. How much this means to me, to be able to see myself as Aragorn.”

He finished by joking: “Well, I lost that bet.”

The TikTok users in the comment section were full of praise for the video. One wrote: “Celebrate my good man. You are Aragorn.”

“Representation matters,” another said.

One more said: “My gay, my heart swells for you. I know how much fantasy means to me, so I’ll just say I’d be proud to fight along side in our dreams.”

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